Gizmodo: sidekick 2008

T-Mobile Sidekick 2008 Review

Jason Chen — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Gadget: The Sidekick 2008, which follows up the Sidekick LX and Sidekick Slide as a "main" unit (read: not low-end like the iD) in the Sidekick series. It's got improved features like a 2.0-megapixel camera, 2.6-inch display (400x240), video recording/playback, stereo Bluetooth, custom "shells" and most importantly, a smaller body.

The Price: $149 with two-year contract.

The Verdict: It's more features for less money. Not only is the Sidekick 2008 $50 cheaper than the $199 you'd currently pay for the Sidekick LX, it comes with more stuff. The best hardware improvement has to be the reduced size, and at 4.7 x 2.3 x 0.7 inches, it's as long as the iPhone, slightly narrower, but about twice as thick. The second most important feature on an SK is the keyboard, and remains pretty much the same as before: chicklety. If you liked previous iterations, you'll like this one.

The UI and inputs are definitely trademark Sidekick, with the standard trackball on the right for scrolling and button layout that's just about the same as the LX's. It's got video capture and video playback, which were added to the Sidekick LX in an automatic update. Also unique to the 2008 is the ability to custom-design your own external shells at sidekickshells.com. One for $9.99 or two for $14.99.

The Sidekick 2008 continues the tradition of nicely designed and intuitive apps, like email, instant messaging, picture messaging and video messaging. The Sidekick started out as a data communicator—something it still continues to do well—but now can be safely called just a "communicator" because of its more well-rounded features.

The call quality was very good—loud and clear with only minimal background noise—and thanks to its newly reduced size, speaking on it is much less like holding a plastic taco up to your ear. The battery is only 1030mAh compared to the LX's 1540mAh, which may partially explain the reduced size. The Sidekick has never been known to take great photos or video, but the video on the 2008 is decent enough for an MMS, and the photos are only slightly blurrier and darker than the iPhone's. Not fantastic, but manageable.

The most important bit of information that you want to know is if we'd recommend it to T-Mobile users. Definitely. If you're a current Sidekick owner and you're happy with the platform, you'll want to upgrade to this for its improved features and reduced size. If you're not a current Sidekick user but have always eyeballed the series, it's a good time to jump on.

Sidekick 2008/ Gekko Already Available on Craigslist

Sean Fallon — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:58:00 EDT

It won't make its official debut until July 30th, but if you just can't wait another 12 days to get your hands on one, it can be had right now on Craigslist. Why anyone would spend a premium amount of cash on a used test unit with the release less than two weeks away is beyond me, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone took the bait. [Craigslist via HipTop3 via BGR]

Sidekick 2008/Gekko Coming July 30th

Brian Lam — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:52:12 EDT

Boy Genius has word that T-Mobile's Sidekick 2008 is coming out on July 30th. The phone has Sidekick like features, and a 2.6-inch WQVGA screen, A2DP stereo Bluetooth streaming and those interchangeable faceplates we've been hearing about. The phone's OS should feel appropriately aged but at the right price, as the Sidekick's always been a crowd-pleaser. I'm just not sure if that crowd is this crowd. [Boy Genius]

Sidekick 2008 Images Appear, Bigger And Clearer

Matt Hickey — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:08:51 EDT

Some more images have popped up at Hiptop3 of the forthcoming Sidekick Gekko aka 2008 from T-Mobile, and they're the best we've seen to date. This is a slender looking hiptop witch will launch with a multitude of skins, making it the most customizable Sidekick to date. And really, with a feature like that, you'd think the code name would be "chameleon", but what do we know? [Hiptop3]

Sidekick Gekko Is Now Sidekick 2008

Mark Wilson — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:58:00 EDT

The Sidekick that had been known as Gekko shall henceforth be called Sidekick 2008. Yes, it may be the first time since the year 2000 that we're sticking the date in a product name, but it's a trend we've so missed. Other than that, we just have a few more blurry-and-therefore-trustworthy leaked shots of the device for your perusal. The front's not bad, but the back is mighty colorful:

Ooohh, skins! [cellphonesignal]